LCM devices sandwich the tissue sample between the microscope slide and an inert membrane. Most instruments then direct the laser onto the section of tissue to be dissected, fusing it to the membrane, and enabling it to be captured in the cap of a specially designed tube. The problem with this approach is that the sample to be studied is subjected to the heat and radiation of the laser, possibly damaging the cellular nucleic acids. The UV CUT LCM system from SL Microtest GmbH of Jena, Germany, adopts an alternative strategy to avoid this particular problem. This system uses a UV laser to circumscribe the cells to be excised in a process called "laser ablation." As the sample is never actually exposed to the laser, there is no possibility of damaging it. For a clean excision, the company recommends two passes over the sample. Screenshot showing areas already excised by ...
A Surgical Strike
Pathologists and research scientists spend a great deal of time poring over histological samples on microscope slides. In a field containing tens of thousands of cells, these researchers might find a small section of the sample that warrants further study. For example, a pathologist examining a tissue biopsy might find a small colony of abnormal cells in a field of otherwise normal cells. Fortunately, these scientists can retrieve such a small colony of cells, or even a single cell, from the tis
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